​It's the spookiest time of the year and we are here with your annual dose of historical Halloween tales!

Hosts: Christine, Kristin, Lucy, Samantha

Giant turkey legs, fried food, implausible costumes… and counterculture? This episode explores the roots of Renaissance Faires in the US, and how this originally hippie-centric phenomenon was linked to other forms of medievalism in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Communes, folk music, particolored tights, and a reimagined past turn out to be more closely linked than you might imagine. This episode also examines how Ren Faires have evolved and continued to thrive, and why you still — if you’re lucky — might hear Steeleye Span covers at your nearest one.

Host: Lucy

In 1612, nine-year-old Jennet Devize accused her mother in court of witchcraft. Her testimony led  to the conviction of 11 people, 10 of whom were sent to the gallows. Find out about the most famous witchcraft event in English history that you may never have heard about in this episode of Footnoting History!  

Host: Kristin

Games are amazing. They teach us how to engage with the world through play. They’ve also been used to train some of the greatest military minds. Chess is notoriously the game of the aristocracy, used to teach strategy and forward thinking. In the 19th century, a Prussian father and son, George Leopold von Reisswitz and Georg Heinrich Rudolf Johann von Reisswitz, brought strategic gaming to a whole new level with profound results.

​Host: Samantha

One of Napoleon Bonaparte’s favorite methods of expanding control was to place his siblings in positions of power. Here, Christine takes a look at the lives of Napoleon’s three dynamic sisters (Elisa, Pauline, and Caroline), their rise to imperial prominence, and how they were impacted by the fall of their brother.
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Host: Christine

In the 13th century, nobleman Simon de Montfort led an infamous and bloody rebellion against his brother-in-law, King Henry III of England. Simon’s fight against royal power (and controversial life!) caused him to be a focus of one of Footnoting History’s earliest episodes. Now, over a decade later, we are revisiting his story for listeners both new and old –and incorporating more details, newer research, and better audio performance. 

​Host: Christine

Ladies, do you ever feel frustrated by the lack of pockets in your clothes? Gentlemen, have you ever heard a woman friend complain about her pockets or been asked to stow a phone or a wallet for a companion? This phenomenon isn’t new. Since the introduction of the three-piece suit in the seventeenth century, men have had a near monopoly on pockets. Tune in this week to learn more about the origin of the pocket in western dress and to consider why women’s pocket game is so limited.

Host: Samantha

Seasonal eating and regional eating were the variables responsible for the most widespread differences in what people ate, although then as now, wealth and class played a significant role in what was available to and prized by diners. Contrary to Hollywood myth, though, sad gruel was not the norm. This episode explores cooking, eating, and thinking about food in medieval Europe.

​Host: Lucy

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, siblings William and Caroline Herschel dedicated their lives to studying the stars. Among their accomplishments were discovering a planet (William) and comets (Caroline), causing them to leave their marks on the field of astronomy forever. This episode of Footnoting History explores their fascinating lives from their surprisingly musical beginnings to their astronomical achievements.

Host: Christine

Medieval clothing was much more than simply a way to keep warm and decent: it was a statement about social class, wealth, and increasingly personal taste. Clothing meant something – and what people wore could change with a mood or the day or the family they were born into. Find out what medieval people were wearing, this week on Footnoting History!

Host: Kristin

The second through fourth centuries C.E. saw a profound transformation, and profound upheavals, in the Roman world as a result of the rise of Christianity as a universal religion. Religion, flexible and syncretic, was a powerful source of identity for the Romans, from the temples of misty Britain to the mystery cults of the Middle East. The growing numbers of Christians, as a minority incapable of assimilation, were a disturbing anomaly… and a useful scapegoat.

​Host: Lucy

In the 14th century, Pope Clement V sent several missionary friars to Khanbaliq (modern-day Beijing) to consecrate fellow missionary Franciscan John of Montecorvino the new archbishop of a new archdiocese that included most of China and India. Who was John of Montecorvino and why did the Latin Church feel an archdiocese was necessary in a place so far from Europe? Find out on this episode of Footnoting History.

​Host: Josh

Both feared and respected, the executioner was indispensable to the premodern system of justice in the West.  The skill and the service he provided were essential to keeping order but: who were they, how did one become an executioner, and did he wear a mask? Find out this week on Footnoting History! 

Host: Kristin

Cassandra Austen is certainly not as famous as her author sister, Jane, but one thing is for certain: she was a massively significant presence in Jane’s world. In this episode of Footnoting History, Christine takes a look at Cassandra’s life and her close, protective, bond with the author of Pride and Prejudice.

Host: Christine

​In this episode, Kristin and Christine bring back a fan-favorite topic, the Tower of London! First, Kristin talks about Jewish connections to the Tower in the Middle Ages. Then, Christine takes you to the Stuart era to talk about the death of Tower prisoner Sir Thomas Overbury. 

Hosts: Kristin and Christine

The Iliad and The Odyssey dramatize not only war, but how challenging it can be to return from war, and how war separates those who fight from their families and communities — even when there aren’t angry gods involved. Figuring out the history behind these beloved poems has a long and complicated history of its own. Scholars have used archaeology to find cities and palaces made famous by Homer. And historians debate the cultural meanings of war and trauma in cultures far removed from our own. The Return (2024) engages with many of these debates as it portrays Odysseus and Penelope’s familiar human story.

​Host: Lucy

At the height of America’s Gilded Age, two men William F Howe and Abraham Hummel practiced criminal law in New York City. These unscrupulous lawyers represented some of the most notorious of NYC criminals of the era using theatrics and loopholes to find “justice” for their clients. On this episode of Footnoting History, come learn all about their misdeeds and misadventures as we explore the underbelly of American history.

Host: Josh

As the year comes to a close, holidays abound! Join us for our newest episode in our series about history that ties to these festive times.

Hosts: Christine, Kristin, Josh

When England's King Henry I died in 1135, his nephew Stephen usurped the throne. Had Stephen's reign been an accepted success, his son Eustace would have been recognized as the next in line to become king, but that did not come to pass. Here, Christine recounts Eustace's story, from growing up during a period called 'The Anarchy' to the aftermath of learning he would never wear the crown.

Host: Christine

Hundreds of years before Dante took us on a tour through the afterlife, there was Thurkill, an English peasant from the 13th century, who described his journey into hell and the edge of paradise. What was it like and what can we learn from his story? Come on a vision quest with Kristin, in this episode of Footnoting History! 

Host: Kristin​